To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters
by because-donuts
Summary: When all hope was lost, we were there to answer the call. When the Kaiju threatened our existence, we created our own monsters to threaten theirs. And when you decide to cancel the Apocalypse, you better go big, or go extinct. [*Will obviously contain spoilers; unless you've seen the movie Pacific Rim (based from Tales From Year Zero), read at your own risk.]
1. Chapter 1

I was with him when it happened in 2013. My family was over at the Beckets' at the time. We watched it on the television on Saturday, August 10, oh seven hundred. More coverage was sent out the next day. And the next day, and the next.  
We were barely teens. It was morning. Disoriented. Scared. It shook me to the bone; shook all of us.  
I still have nightmares of it.  
The monsters came from not the stars, like we always believed... No. Those suckers came from the Pacific—somewhere deep into its depths. We called it, the "portal", The Breach. People started calling the monster kaiju. In Japanese, it literally means "strange beast," but it was still a monster to us all. A gigantic one. Others made jokes about Godzilla and Mothra; some were referring to the Chitauri and Leviathans from Marvel's The Avengers. But these things were way, way bigger.  
At first, there was only one. It was a big, ugly fellow, too. It made land in San Francisco, California.  
Thankfully, we were in Alaska.  
We all thought it was just a 7.1 earthquake, because it was all we knew; but then, it surfaced—as big as a skyscraper—and attacked the Golden Gate. People weren't able to evacuate the vicinity.  
Tens of thousands of people died in downtown Frisco. Before the U.S. Air Force and RAF and all the other guys managed to kill it, the monster had made it thirty-five miles inland. It took almost a week to kill it. Three cities were all but demolished. The damage... wasn't all the kaiju's fault.  
Tanks, jets, missiles. Tactical nukes... Three, actually.  
The Bay Area still won't be habitable for a while. You ever hear of Oblivion Bay? Of course you have. Everyone knows about Oblivion Bay; where the decommissioned Jaegers go. Well, that's how it happened.  
Something that everyone is familiar with: Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Oblivion Bay is exactly like them... except hundreds of times worse.  
After that first attack from Trespasser, as was the given codename to the first seen kaiju, no one on Earth felt safe. Who would? There was never anything like this to happen, not since the dinosaurs.  
We were unprepared.  
Before we knew it, the second attack happened in Hong Kong, five months later. Again, they nuked the son of a bitch. This created the Exclusion Zone. The third showed its ugly face in Sydney, nearly another eight months later. Nuked.  
The tactical nukes eventually worked to bring the kaiju down, but it also worked on destroying some of the world's greatest Pacific cities. Soon enough, we figured that it wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon. What we were doing to save ourselves was also going to kill us. If anything, it was just the beginning of the end. Our end.  
Extinction.  
Innocent people were lost, only because of something we couldn't prevent, or even fight. Many things left them unfazed. Raleigh said once that they were the closest thing to invincible that our world has ever seen. The Hellfire missiles at least did something, but just barely scratch the surface. I felt like we were fighting a losing battle.  
That was the problem, and we fixed it.  
In order to fight the monsters, we built monsters of our own. By the time that Scissure hit Sydney, a brilliant doctor by the name of Jasper Schoenfeld decided to see if his hand can help the populace. Schoenfeld went to the Seoul conference, and that's how the idea mustered into the limelight. He, along with a Caitlin Lightcap, created a new weapon; the very first Jaeger prototype.  
They put them in an abandoned warehouse. There, they brain stormed and built. Stacker, I believe, was the first one to help get their funding back when they were cut for the new alliance. Eventually, Brawler Yukon was finished.  
Adam Casey, a USAF captain, the first in Trial, was the first casualty.  
I was never told what happened, exactly.  
Sergio D'onofrio would have been the second, if Ms. Lightcap—now recently D'onofrio—hadn't acted quickly and taken half the neural load. They soon found that having two people Drift (having a joint connection neurally between Rangers and the Jaeger, via the Pons) would work much better and safer than previously thought. It took a while to figure everything out, I was told that, but, eventually, the world had its sword to defend itself.  
This was the beginning of our salvation, but I was the only one, even at such a young age, that knew good things never lasted forever. By the time that the Jaeger Program was in tow, more and more attacks happened. At least, this time around, we were ready to fight fire with fire—er, scales with... metal.  
I've been hearing around that maybe, just _maybe_, these things have been here before. That the Kaijus were the reason that prehistoric dinosaurs were extinct. That, since we'd screwed up the atmosphere, they were coming back to take over again.  
We neither believed or dismissed this claim.  
By the time Raleigh and I were sixteen—two years after the first attack; twelve months after the first line of battle-ready Mark 1 Jaegers were operational—we enlisted into the new Jaegar Academy to train, and then, join the Pan Pacific Defense Corps as Rangers (Jaeger pilots). Their first facility, outside of the abandoned warehouse near Pittsburgh, was on Kodiak Island.  
Yancy, Raleigh's older brother, passed the physical and mental requirements when they started the PPDC. He waited for us to finish our course, and, along with Rals, they made the second cut to be Rangers. They were partners; Drift Compatible; worked well in their Jaeger, Gipsy Danger.  
I had passed with flying colors myself, but, since we couldn't find anyone Compatible with me just yet, my Uncle Jasper (one of the brilliant minds behind the Program) had another thing for me to work on.  
No, see, I wasn't just trained; I was taught everything to know about operating, manufacturing, creating, and mending a Jaeger. My uncle taught me everything he knew. Caitlin, the brains behind the Pons, did the same. Years later, so did the new Marshal, Pentecost.  
I knew the plans, the history, everything. I guess you can say I know the Program better than just about anyone—except for maybe Chuck, but that's another different story.  
We were all at our prime back then. We were the Class of 2016, and we were the best. We were at the top; everyone knew our names—more-so to the brothers.  
Gipsy Danger was working to the max, battling off one Kaiju after another. Of course, the Becket brothers weren't the only ones out there in the field, defending everyone, but they were the ones I counted on to come home. Raleigh and Yancy trusted me, Greyson Darcy, to help them do it.  
Everything was A-okay until the year 2020.  
Since the Kaiju were getting bigger, adapting, we started the Serizawa Scale.  
Yancy had died fighting a Category 3 Kaiju. We had lost communication with Raleigh afterwards, lost the signal of Gipsy.  
After the Marshal found him, Raleigh had had enough. PTSD. Survivor's guilt. It was enough to make him quit.  
I hadn't seen him since.


	2. Chapter 2

_**2020 - March 1st - 03:13 AM - Kodiak Island, AK**_

"G!" Loud bangs. "Sonny! Get up!" Louder bangs. "Greyson, Pentecost is going to kill you if you don't get up!" He nudged my shoe.  
I shoved myself out from under the console with the dolly. I wiped the grease from my face. My brows rose up on my forehead as I stared at Tendo.  
"Did you think I was asleep under here?"  
He shrugged. "The Marshal wants to see you in his office."  
"Again?"  
Ten just shrugged again.  
Not very verbal, that man.  
I headed to Stacker's main office. Before I even was able to make contact with the door, it swung open. The Marshal almost ran into me by how he seemed to have hurried. A handkerchief was pressed against his nose. He stopped and blinked.  
I blinked right back at him. "Are you okay?"  
He avoided my question.  
"What did you want, lieutenant?"  
"Um. Sir, I was given the impression that you had something to converse with me?"  
Pentecost sniffed. "Right, right. Of course. Step into my office."  
With my jaw taut, I nodded to Pentecost, pivoting making my feet move forward.  
Entering his quarters for the second time that day, I began to ponder on my life choices, among other things. I mean... It was three in the morning, and Yancy had just died less than six hours ago, and Raleigh's signal is gone, but I'm fine.  
I'm not fine.  
He looked at me. "Darcy?"  
"Sir," I said, not turning to face him as I sat.  
"About the Beckets—"  
"I'm fine, sir."  
Another silence.  
"Fine. Let's get down to business. Since you are our unofficial liaison—and I'm sorry about this—but you need to go through a routine check with all Shatterdomes world-wide. There is no one on this planet as qualified as you are. Moreover, there's no one I can trust with what you do."  
"You're forgetting a few people," I muttered, ducking my head.  
"Ah, yes. Others would probably do a fine job. However, you, my dear, are a Ranger, though you've never piloted a bot into the field. And not only that, but you're a psyche analyst, assault specialist, Kwoon fight master, Conn-Pod control—you're even qualified to be in J-Tech, K-Science, and a Strike Group." Stacker took a few steps in my direction. "But, instead, you chose to be the simile of a second-in-command. Why? Because that's _you_. You, Miss Darcy, were born for this."  
I narrowed my eyes, a corner of my lips quirking inward. "You've had that speech saved up for me, huh?"  
"Maybe."  
"Look, Stacker—"  
He gave me a look, but stayed quiet.  
"—I signed up because Yance and Raleigh were trying to win a bet, and I didn't want to be left behind. I passed the Academy because I was tailored to be a Ranger. Crimson Typhoon is _functional _because of me. My uncle got the ball rolling, and I'm here to make sure that boulder crushes the kaiju. Now, pardon me if this sounds disrespectful on any level, Marshal, but _my best friend just died_!"  
My eyes started to prick, and I could feel every fiber of me tearing apart.  
"Yance is gone and Raleigh's missing—I can't _handle _this! I'm just 21, man. Everything I know is gone. I can't go back—I have to, but I don't want to do it."  
The whole time my voice was wavering. Stacker never called me out on it.  
Instead, he crouched in front of my seat, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I know the feeling. But I know you can handle it. Just do; don't think."  
The intercom went on in Stacker's office. "_Sir, there's been an emergency call off the coast of Anchorage. There's been a Jaeger sighting. We think it might be Gipsy._"  
Pentecost straightened up just as my head snapped up. "Suit up," he said. "We'll need you over there."  
"Raleigh...?"  
A quirk of his lips told me. It was all I needed.  
_Yes_.


	3. Chapter 3

(WARNING: This is a _really _long-ass chapter. xDD Read at your own attention span. Also, note: If the foreign languages aren't translated right after they're said, then they will be translated into English in the following dialogue. :)

**_2020 - April 17th - 5:23 PM - Kodiak Island, AK_**

Today was the day. I was cleared to start going around to the eight 'Domes and check on progress, crew, stats, and everything else that requires my expertise. I had packed a couple bags to bring with me as I made my rounds. Who knew how long the traveling would take, a week? Less?  
Moreover: who knew how many breaches would happen while I was away?  
A knock at the door caught my attention. I opened it, but found no one there. I was about to shut the door when my eye caught a Manila folder on the ground; inside was a single sheet of paper. Not even half-way through reading it, I was shocked:

17 April 2020  
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

United Nations to sunset Jaeger program; Pan-Pacific Defense priorities shift to coastal defense, resettlement

Effective immediately, the United Nations Subcommittee on Kaiju Defense and Security, Pan-Pacific Breach Working Group, is reassigning funding from the Jaeger program.  
The costs of the Jaeger program have proven unsustainable in view of the limited returns the program offers. In the last three years we have spent trillions on Jaegers. A member of those Jaegers have been destroyed and losses to life and property are devastating.  
It could be argued, and has ably been argued by Marshal Pentecost, that our situation would be much worse were it not for the Jaegers. Perhaps so. Yet this is a hypothetical argument, and we are faced with the real-world problem of bankrupting the economies of the developed nations to continue a program whose successes—however notable—no longer justify such an outlay.  
We will sunset the Jaeger program in a manner that continues to prioritize the safety and security of the people of the Pacific Rim nations. While we do this, we will redirect funding toward the following initiatives:

**COASTAL BARRIERS**

No kaiju has attacked a currently standing Wall. The building of these fortifications is the simplest and most cost-effective tool humanity has to combat the kaiju threat.

**EVACUATION AND RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS**

Citizens of the Pacific coastal cities will be receiving further information as new housing is constructed farther inland, prioritizing according to progress on the Wall.

**COMPLETION OF UNDERSEA BARRIERS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC**

The kaiju must be contained at all costs, and under no circumstances will they be allowed to break out of the Pacific and threaten Europe, India, or the East Coast of the Americas.

The Working Group's members wish to thank Marshal Pentecost, his Rangers, and the entire staff of the Jaeger program for their courageous service.

I clenched my fist, crunching the memo into a ball. _This _is the thanks we get? Are they out of their damn _minds_? A stupid _wall _can't keep the kaiju away—and even if it did, the kaiju would still be alive, hunting for a weak spot. How are they going to handle _that _when more and more come, with nothing to defeat them? These monsters are smart, don't get me wrong. They'll end up teaming together and then breaking that wall down one way or another. Along with the Jaegers out of commission, who's going to save our sorry asses?  
No one, that's who.  
Suck on _them _apples.  
I left the junk in the waste basket, placing my bag atop my rolling luggage. The door locked behind me as I turned left in the corridor. The ride up the elevator was uneventful save for Melanie, one of Brawler Yukon's techs, sharing a few details of Caitlin and Sergio D'onofrio's lives s far.  
One of the Sikorsky guys, Daniel, hopped off and met me on the helipad. He grabbed my bags, nodding me a hello, and turned to load them onto the chopper. As I stepped inside, the wind outside picked up, blowing the light drizzle.  
"Hey, Dan?"  
"Yes, Greyson?" Daniel replied with a quirked lip.  
"How long's the trip to Vladivostok?"  
"Five hours-ish," Rob—our pilot—cut in. "Give or take, ten minutes." He had adorned his muffs, bull-cap, and sun glasses. He looked stern. But then, a smile lit up his face. "Ms. Darcy," he greeted.  
"Mr. Benedict," I replied with a curt nod as I buckled myself into the seat.

"Be ready for the rest of the week, because we'll be spending a _lot _of time together," Rob called, smirking, winking over-dramatically—at least, that's what I think he did.  
Halfway through the ride, my phone started ringing.  
"Darcy."  
"_The UN threatened to give us months for the Jaeger Program_—months_._"  
I swear that my heart faltered for a moment. "Wh-wh-what?! You're—you're joking!"  
"_The meeting just adjourned. The Marshal sure isn't happy about it._"  
I heard Tendo sigh on the other end of the line.  
"Well—what does that mean exactly? Are they shutting us down, or—?"  
Tendo shifted the phone in his hand, it seemed. "_They're going to start cutting funds to the Jaeger Program once the eight months are over. I guess the eight months start after the next meeting, or whatever. No one knows exactly. All I know is that we're not sure how the Shatterdomes would keep running, but Pentecost made it look like we're keeping them up._"  
"I'd hope so! You saw the memo earlier? They're ass-faced bureaucrats who care only about themselves and their political reputations—and money. That's the first thing they take when they high-tail it out."  
"_There's the economy to think about, though. All the money is going to—_"  
"If that wall _fails_, there may not be an economy to be _worried _about, Ten."  
"_Touché. Alright. Have a safe trip, then. Make sure you come back in one piece, eh?_"  
"_Cháng liàng_." I chuckled. _Always_.  
"_Wǒ huì kàn dào nǐ._" _I'll see you._  
And he was gone.

**_2020 - April 18th - 10:12 AM - Vladivostok, Russia_**

"And are you sure that—er—_vse rabotayet normal'no_?"  
"_Da_. Everything is fine, as they should."  
I nodded at the tech, scribbling down incoherent things onto the holopad. Eh. I'll figure it out later. With that done, I headed down to their mess hall for an early lunch after five hours on the deck and hangar.  
On the way, I could hear hard rock music blasting from _somewhere_.  
"_Ostorozhno!_"  
Confused, I stopped in my tracks to find where the voice came from. Wrong move on my part. A cart swerved around me, causing a box or two from the top to fall off and to the ground.  
I grew red. "Geez. I'm sorry!"  
"Told you to 'watch out'," the Russian spat. After he stacked the boxes, he drove the cart away again, muttering to himself. "Tch. Lousy American girl."  
I frowned then, staring after the guy. "Thanks, man. Really!"

_**2020 - April 19th - 5:47 PM - Tokyo, Japan**_

The crew and I finished our rounds in Russia around 11 PM last night. We ate our lunch, and an hour and a half after leaving the Russian Shatterdome, we were landing in Tokyo. The already-familiar rounds I made with the 'Dome prior were no different from what I did here.  
Here, at least, the people are nicer.  
The highlight of my mere day's stay in Tokyo was passing by pair of Rangers playing Chinese checkers. I had watched their moves for a while before making my input.  
"_Yīngyǔ ma?_" I had asked, _English?_ Off of his nod, I continued with: "Why don't you take this piece and take those four, and then King?"  
His brows rose, but the Ranger seemed to have finally seen what I was talking about. Suffice to say, he then offered to buy me a bowl of ramen since that game won him ¥1000.  
Maybe next time.  
Maybe next time I can finally go sight-seeing.

**_2020 - April 20th - 11:58 PM - Sydney, Australia_**

Much like in Russia, the crew and I arrived in the later hours of the day. Being it the third day of travels, and including the consecutive take-offs and landings, the jet-lag had started to kick in.  
The crew and I were escorted through the hangar bay and to the sleeping quarters of the Australian base. I was already sluggish as I forced myself to keep walking, sleep catching up with me. Daniel, Rob, and Noah—Dr. Newt Geiszler's younger brother whom we had picked up in Hong Kong—entered the elevator to go up a few floors.  
Besides us five (the other being a tech who volunteered to show us around), I didn't realize that two others had joined our little entourage.  
That was until the taller of the said two cleared their throat.  
"Greyson Darcy?"  
It shocked me to straighten up at the voice. My head turned to the owner of it. I could feel my cheeks turning red.  
I sputtered out, "Oh—Mr. Hansen. Hi. It's nice to see you again."  
The veteran Ranger chuckled. "Likewise. What brings you and your crew to our neck of the woods?"  
"Big, top-secret, super important mission from _the Marshal_," Noah butted in, a serious expression on his face.  
I elbowed him in the side. "_Ignore him_. Mr. Geiszler here believes he's been chosen for a higher purpose just because we picked him up from Hong Kong. But the real reason is that his older brother misses him so, so we're bringing him back with us."  
Noah, then the age of 25, pouted. "Shut up."  
I snorted. "Anyway. Yeah, Stacker made me the PPDC's liaison so I've been made to do runs for all Shatterdomes. We just got to our fourth one: here."  
Hercules Hansen nodded in understanding, and then sparked up a conversation about the new Mark V-E to be made a prototype that everyone's been talking about. When the doors opened again, the tech exited the lift, leading us out. Herc walked with me, not wanting to leave the topic unfinished.  
"Dad!" an annoyed voice called.  
We all turned to the last person in the elevator.  
"This isn't our floor," he elaborated after a quick silence.  
"Right, right. Sorry—oh. Greyson, before I forget, this is my son, Chuck. May have seen him in Manila...?"  
I nodded to the boy, donning a smile. "Of course. Also the newest Ranger recruit, I keep hearing. Welcome to the team, man. You're assigned to Striker with your dad, yeah?"  
Chuck, who was at first reserved and taut, soon loosened up as the ice was broken. "Nah, yeah. Me and my old man piloting the best Jaeger on the planet."  
"I'd reckon as much. Helped design the mech." I winked in Chuck's direction. "Take care of her for me."  
I pivoted on my heel to catch up with the boys at the end of the hall.

_**2020 - April 21st - 12:43 PM - Sydney, Australia**_

"I'm busy right now, kid."  
"Aye. I'm no kid. I've been 16 since August last, mind you!"  
"Congratulations. You're six years younger than I am." I typed on the touch-screen's pad was we talked, strolling around the 'Dome. "What did you need from me, anyway?" I asked Chuck.  
"Nothin', really. Just... I know that you're close with pilots of Gipsy and—"  
"Don't."  
"Wha?"  
"Don't _go _there. Don't _start_. Don't even _mention _it while I'm around." Letting go of a held sigh, I met Chuck's gaze. "Please," I added quietly.  
He nodded, falling into step with me once again.  
"So. You know the Marshal?"  
"He's my boss."  
"Right." Chuck scratched the back of his head, licking his lips as he thought. "How old are you?"  
I rolled my eyes. "I believe I've already answered that question, mate."  
Chuck scoffed. "You're really 21? Surely, you don't look older than seventeen."  
"My name's Greyson. Don't call me 'Shirley'," I kidded, chuckling at my own joke.  
"I mean—c'mon. You knew what I meant!"  
Shifting the holopad into the crook of my arm, I actually looked at Chuck Hansen. Tall. Ginger. Doesn't look 16, though the bull-cap fixed on backwards kind of defeats that assumption.  
Stepping closer to him, I reached back and took the lid of the hat, fixing it right. I tried to hold in my smirk when he turned as red as his hair.  
"That's better." Taking a stride backwards, I blinked at him. "Now, why have you been hovering over me all day? Don't you have training, or conditioning—or anything else, really to do—besides hovering?"  
Chuck looked away sheepishly. "I have stuff to do. You're just—more interesting."  
I huffed a laugh. "Cute. But I'm way too old for you."  
"Not! My parents were six years apart, and they turned out fine."  
"Yeah? Where's your mom?"  
"...she's dead. Died in the Sydney attack."  
It was like my train of thought went on a mental halt.  
"Oh."  
_ 'Oh'? That's all you can _say_, Greyson? 'Oh'?!_  
"My dad's passed too. It was within my first month at the Academy. He... He got killed in a motorcycle accident. Was walking on the pedestrian lane, and the idiot ran him—" I cut myself short, already feeling the wave of grief coming back. "—my uncle took me in after that. So..."  
"You're uncle's the one who started this, right?" Chuck asked, hoping to veer off topic.  
I gave a half-smile. "Yes, sir. Jasper Schoenfeld. It was my baby cousin who gave him the idea, believe it or not. He was playing with his Power Rangers robot and a T-Rex on the living room floor. Can you believe that?"  
Chuck shrugged. "Nah. Hey, where you goin' after here?"  
"Getting on a fourteen-hour flight to Lima. Just my cuppa."

**_2020 - April 21st - 10:09 PM - Above the Pacific Ocean_**

"Another twelve hours to gooo," Noah whined, reclined into his seat.  
"Geiszler?" I started, not bothering to lift my head out from under the magazine on my face, leaving my words quite muffled.  
"Yeah. What's up?"  
"Shut your face."  
The rest of the ride was quiet—save for the other two men's occasional chuckles.

**_2020 - April 23rd - 3:29 PM - Flight from Panama City, Panama to Los Angeles Shatterdome_**

The check at the Lima Shatterdome was fairly uneventful. Same as the others. Or maybe that's just me.  
Flying a lot isn't really my forte.  
The rounds at LA were quicker than the rest were. Even the Anchorage 'Dome doesn't get through their rounds like that. Apparently, someone had already done their checks a few days ago.  
"Well, who besides me or the Marshal could have done that?" I asked the tech by their LOCCENT.  
"Um. Your uncle, miss. Mr. Schoenfeld's stopped by recently. He lives in Big Sur. Actually, he's—"  
"Gracy! Sweetheart!"  
A smile lit up my face when my eyes landed on his figure.  
I called out, "Uncle Jasper!"  
He strolled down the steps from MisCon, a grin plastered on his face. "Greyson, it's been too long. Really. When was the last time I saw you?"  
After I gave him a hug, I replied. "Dad's funeral, I think. How's Aunt Nancy and Robbie?"  
"Well, you know... Still divorced. Rob's been good. He's starting high school this September. Real excited."  
He kept his arm around my shoulders as we walked.  
I chuckled at his previous response. "Rob's grown. It's seems like just yesterday—"  
"—that you guys were making mud-pies together?" Uncle Jasper tightened his hold on me for a hug. "Good old days." He turned his head to look at me then. "How are you?"  
"Traveling's been suck-ass. The few days have been..." I cleared my throat— "eventful."  
A sympathetic look was all he gave me then. "I heard about the Beckets. Nice family. Raleigh, right?"  
"No, it was, uh, Yancy... Raleigh's older brother. He was the one that—yeah..." I played with the edge of the holopad. "Raleigh retired. He couldn't handle it."  
"I know the feeling."  
"But you don't. You really don't. Honestly, no one does." I bit my lip. "It's like having a part of your soul ripped out. Your best friend's gone. There's an emptiness in your head that you will always notice. It's worse for Raleigh because he had to—they were still in the Drift when Yance died..."  
Uncle Jazz stopped short of his stride. "I never realized it was that bad."  
"No one does," I repeated, pulling on a half-smile. "On another note: have you heard from the UN?"  
He shook his head. "What happened with those assholes _now_?"  
"They're thinking of shutting down JP to compensate money for 'The Wall'," I said, adding air-quotes to the last bit. "Total bullshit."  
"The global economy—"  
"—will not even _exist _anymore if this wall plan fails. _We _may not even exist anymore when _that _happens. It's a kaiju all-you-can-eat buffet! Might as well get in line now."

(Ooh. Loads of stuff happened here, eh? TEN PAGES WORTH. I am not kidding you guys anymore: throw suggestions at me on what I should incorporate into the story, or what you would like to find out [via Travis Beacham because why not]. :)


	4. Chapter 4

I pressed myself up against the wall of the dark bunker, waiting until the Russian Rangers of Cherno Alpha walked past. Their footsteps echoed in the hall long after they were gone. With my hand-sized mirror, I took a look around the corner. Clear. The lights in that part of the hall were on. Quietly, I inched closer to my room.  
I had just turned the wheelly, turny thingie on the door when someone cleared their throat behind me. Before I turned, I mentally face-palmed; "wheelly, turny thingie"? I'm a scholar, for Christ's sake!  
_Door-lock_; there you go! That's it!  
"Miss Darcy, what do you think you are doing outside your room past curfew?"  
Busted.  
Slowly turning on my heel, I faced Stacker Pentecost. He was wearing his suit, as per usual. Also like always, his expression was impassive. His eyes were scrutinizing.  
I wracked my brain for a believable lie.  
"You see—"  
"You know that you shouldn't be out on the bay. Plus, Gipsy's not going anywhere," he said in amusement.  
My lips pressed into a line. Heat crawled up my neck.  
"Sorry, sir. I just... wanted to see the old gal before going to bed."  
Pentecost nodded. "She's getting around, Greyson. Gipsy Danger will be battle-ready in no time at all. Especially with you and Ms. Mori working on her."  
I managed a small smile. Nodding, I slid into my chamber.  
Plopping myself onto my soft mattress, I sighed. My covers were warm, which contrasted the stormy weather outside the headquarters. The room was filled with old, familiar rock songs; spanning from mid 1900's to the early 2000's.  
People from before knew what was up music-wise, that's a definite.  
I rolled around in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, limbs spread across the queen-sized bed. My head turned to my radio on the bedside table when it started blaring out "Here's To Never Growing Up." That song's at _least _twelve years old. It made me frown to myself.  
That was Raleigh's favorite song when we were younger.  
I closed my eyes, replaying the early memories of my time at the PPDC. Raleigh, Yancy, Tendo, and myself. We were _the _team. The four of us were beating kaiju left and right, and we felt like we stood at the top of the world. Raleigh was getting cocky, but Yancy was always there to keep him, as well as me, grounded. I guess, it changed when he...  
It's been five years since I actually made contact with Raleigh. I _know _he's alive, because we found Gipsy Danger. (She was my bot, to be honest. I designed her; my uncle made sure she would be fit. Gip is my bot.)  
He's been popping up around Alaska; he's been working on The Wall. But that's not the only reason I know. You see, Raleigh and I had Drifted with the old bot on more than one occasion, usually to only see how well she functioned after being fixed-up after a fight.  
That was the reason. We were Drift Compatible.  
All _three _of us were, actually.  
About three years before the Category 3 kaiju that had taken Yancy, I, along with many others, had developed a new bot made for three, instead of two Rangers. It was still in the works, but the Beckets and I were able to try the Drift Simulator, being as we were the first-ever trio. We were all Compatible. We basically grew up together.  
Development for Crimson Typhoon was held back when the older Becket died. But then we gave China the original blueprints to the Jaeger, and they made it better. The Wei triplets stepped up to the plate, and were able to Drift with the newly designed machine.  
Man and machine, fighting as one.  
I didn't realize that I was staring at the picture until the music changed. There was only one picture on my nightstand: It was of me, and the two Becket brothers. Many, many years ago. It was after the boys' first run, I think.  
I was in the middle, holding in my smiling teeth an old, worn-out Polaroid picture of us three when we were younger. Rals's hair was a bit longer than his usual; Yance had a rare, goof-ball grin on his face, and he had his arm tight around my shoulders; I was holding onto both of my boys like my life depended on it.  
It shocked me when tears began to blur my vision.  
Sniffing, I palmed my face, erasing any evidence of wetness.  
_Get a _grip _on yourself, Sonny!_  
Sleep, mercifully, was granted sooner than later.

It was three hours later that I woke up. I frowned to myself, seeing that it was past barely five; I'd not slept much. Jet-lag. _Great_.  
Changing into an old, blue yarn-knit sweater and skinny jeans, I left my bunker, walking about aimlessly until later. I didn't really have much to do until the later hours, until someone called for me to assist with a situation, that is.  
My feet took me I know not where. I just walked off the numbness in them.  
For the past few years, I'd been making rounds to all of the Shatterdomes worldwide. The latest one: Sydney. It had just been decommissioned yesterday. Three days ago, the 27th, Mutavore had attacked the city. Two Australian Jaegers were lost. Thankfully, Striker Eureka finished the job. I was at the Dome during the fight; partially damaged. I flew back with the Hansens a day or so ago. Striker was under repairs as of now, along with Gipsy's remodeling.  
By the time I stood facing the lift, finishing up my mental rants, I decided to get some fresh air for once; clear my mind. Being held up inside for hours on end isn't really all it's cracked up to be.  
Okay, I lied. It really is!  
The doors slid open to the ground floor, where the helipads were placed. I nodded to the pilots and cargo-holders as I passed them in the hall.  
Beside the opened loading bay doors lay a large tank. Inside was... Is that a part of a _brain_?! My eyes widened at the sight. Confusion rolled over me, but was soon replaced by excitement. It was a _kaiju _brain—what's left of it, anyway. I wonder how hard it was for someone to get their hands on this treasure. Honestly, now I'm wondering how they managed to even get that piece—even if it was small, it still seemed to be alive—without the Kaiju Blue (their toxic and acidic blood) ruining the machines.  
An... artery? A _very _large artery shifted to touch the glass case wherein it was held. I squeamishly turned on my heel, regretting my decision of trying to be active and productive.  
Someone met me at the elevator: Mako Mori.  
She was a trainee, but she was also one of the younger ones. She hasn't seen anything but the simulator. Now, don't let that fool you; that girl has got some _moves_! Fifty-one drops, fifty-one kills. Mind you, that's impressive.  
I smiled, greeting her. "Mako!" Noticing her donning two umbrellas in her hand, I raised a brow. "Wait... Did Stacker leave?"  
_ Well, that was quick._  
She nodded. The black hair that framed her face bobbed.  
"He is just about to land with an old friend of his, a Ranger from before."  
A Ranger from...?  
Now, I was really confused. All Rangers are accounted for, save for the ones that had died in action. There isn't supposed to _be _a "before." Pilots who survive alone, "left-overs" as we call them around here, are mighty rare.  
Unless...  
Mako glided past me with ease as I stood there in the same spot, rethinking everything. Slowly, very slowly, I turned around to watch her walk out to the platform, an umbrella shielding her from the harsh rain. What good that must be; it was way too windy for it to help properly. The rotors on the Sikorsky began to slow as the door flipped down. Stacker squinted out into the rain, standing tall against the pestering weather. Upon laying eyes on Mako, he began to walk over for the umbrella. They may have exchanged a few words, but I was still watching the door, my heart in my throat. I exhaled a breath I never knew I was holding when I saw him.  
Raleigh.  
He was found; he was alive; he was breathing. He was _here_.  
My legs pumped faster than ever before. (I was usually against running on a prone-to-get-slippery platform in this kind of weather, but this was an exception.) The hard rain droplets seemed like nothing to me. The few meters it took to reach them seemed like a thousand. I threw my arms around his neck before any of us could say a word. He returned it with just the same amount of vigor.  
"_Rals_... Raleigh. Oh, my God. You're alive."  
It was a mere whisper, but I knew he could hear it.  
"Sonny. _Too tight_."  
That name alone brought tears to my eyes. I laughed under my breath to hide the small sob that flitted past my lips. Biting my lower lip to stop its trembling, I finally let go of him. Raleigh took a dramatic intake of breath. The rain had soaked us some, but he held the umbrella firm in his hand.  
"Becket, this is Mako Mori, one of our brightest, has been for years. I take it that" —Pentecost cleared his throat— "you and Greyson know each other. They're in charge of the Mark III Restoration Project."  
Raleigh and I just smiled at each other for a few heartbeats after Mako bowed in mere politeness. "Honored to meet you."  
We heard Mako mutter to Stacker.  
"_Watashi wa chigatta kare o sōzō_," she said, looking up at Pentecost. _I imagined him differently._  
"_Chigau no?_" Raleigh replied in Japanese. _Different how? _He continued on with his words: _Better or worse?_  
Stacker looked at him indifferently, but I pursed my lips to hide the grin. Nobody did embarrassment like the Japanese.  
Mako's ears turned pink. Her whole face, actually. She bowed several times. "My apologies, Mr. Becket," she said in English before returning to her native tongue: _I've heard so much about you._  
We had been inching towards the elevator to go into the command center. By the time the doors had slid opened once again, a familiar voice started screaming at us, telling us to hold the door. I don't know.  
I still stared at Raleigh. _Could this all be a dream?_


	5. Chapter 5

My mind was in jumbles. It was like everything of the past was erased from my mind, all of the now was being ignored; like it was just _him_. Maybe it was because I need so dearly to hold on to something familiar, to make sure my last strands of sanity will hold. I don't know. But whatever it is, Raleigh's the key to unlocking the answer.  
It was when I felt the motion of the elevator did I realize I was staring at Raleigh, unaware of my surroundings. There were two new additions to our little welcome-party: doctors Newton Geiszler and Hermann Gottlieb. Newt, as always, was ranting about how great the Kaiju were and all that. Gottlieb was as pessimistic and judgmental as always; mocking Newt for being a "Kaiju groupie," as he says.  
I mean, _yeah_, if the Kaiju weren't the cause of our death toll and threatening our lives right now, then I might be one of the so-called groupies myself, but just _no_.  
Raleigh shifted closer to me. I could feel hthe heat radiating off of him. Looking up at the blond, I noticed how set his jaw was. He was still staring quizzically at the Newt and Hermann, but it's nothing but the usual. Those two bicker like an old married couple, they do. The two men were arguing about whether or not Kaiju were appropriate to even fan over.  
Meeting Mako's gaze, she raised her brows at me, smirking. I only widened my eyes to warn her not to push my buttons.  
You see, the two of us have grown close over the last five or so years. After majority of the Shatterdomes (the headquarters for where the Jaegers are held) were shut down due to numerous KIAs, the government gave us eight months to fix ourselves, or have the last-standing Shatterdome shut down—permanently.  
Most of the funds were going to The Wall; the workers that lost their jobs at the other Shatterdomes and weren't able to go along with the rest to the Shatterdome in Hong Kong were the first to be given job opportunities. Soon after, job openings were all along the Pacific Rim, for workers to help build The Wall to defend our cities from the portal to the Anteverse (the other end of the portal in the depths of the Pacific; from where the ugly-ass Kaiju come).  
Anyway, over the past few years, Mako's grown to be like the little sister that I never wanted. And, in turn, our PPDC Marshall eased up on me during the days. Stacker soon took to me, as well.  
My meaningless rants to myself were cut-off when Raleigh brushed against my side. I looked at him, about ready to slap him for scaring me, when I saw where he was looking: The Kaiju brain had twitched to life once again. Must've scared him; this made me snicker to myself. Big, macho-man Raleigh Becket was scared by a frontal lobe of a Kaiju. How ironic.  
When Raleigh looked around at all five faces, his eyes landed on mine last. Eyes softened. A lazy smile tugged at his lips; it made my heart flutter.  
Okay, alright. I have to admit, when I was younger, I may have had a tiny, itsy-bitsy infatuation with the younger Becket. I... Blame the hormones. Plus, there is a very high probability that Mr. Becket is well-aware of my little school-girl crush. It faded after a few months, but now it's back with a vengeance; my attraction to him is stronger than ever.  
I kicked myself mentally. _You're not available. Think about Chuck._ I finally broke off the glance with Raleigh. He frowned, confused. The doors finally opened to the hangar bay. I made haste and got off the lift, walking towards the right hangar, towards Striker Eureka. Raleigh called after me, but I didn't turn around, no matter how much I wanted to.  
When Chuck lay eyes on me, a broad grin spread on his face. He got to his feet after sending his old bulldog, Max, over to me.  
"Come on. Get her, Max."  
Chuck nudged the dog in my direction, though I saw little need to do so. Max ran at me, barking playfully. He went behind my legs and nipped at my heels, leading me to Chuck. I laughed, turning back to my boyfriend.  
I pursed my lips into a tight line, hiding my smile. "Hey," I greeted lamely.  
Chuck Hansen smiled back at me, pressing his lips against mine. "Hey," he muttered, wrapping his arms around my middle. "Where've you been? I didn't see you at all yesterday."  
"I was in the LOCCENT all day, helping Tendo." I batted my eyelashes at him mockingly. "And I was fixing up the old bot. The Conn-Pod needed a lot of work, too. Who can blame me?"  
Chuck head-butted me lightly. "I was lonely last night."  
"Yeah. I'm sure your father would love to hear that you don't love his company," I joked, combing my hand through his hair. "I didn't get in until two in the morning."  
His brows furrowed and he pulled his head back. "You were out here all that time?"  
I smiled sheepishly. "Gip needed a few tweaks here, a few tightened screws there. I finished up her painted-job."  
"You can't do that for Striker?" Chuck asked in jest.  
I smirked back. "Give me the blueprints and a week, and I can make somethin' happen."  
Chuck only shook his head before leaning down to lock lips once more. I heard numerous footsteps coming toward us, and Max started barking.  
"Here are Hercules and Chuck Hansen, pilots of Striker Eureka-Lieutenant Darcy! Mr. Hansen!"  
We pulled away from each other, trying to hold in our laughter.  
"Busted," we muttered in unison.  
I turned around to face the marshal, and Pentecost did not look at all pleased. It was just the three of them; Mako, Stacker, and Raleigh. Newt and Gottlieb, as I can see from where I stood, were on their way to the KScience lab. Mako was playing with Max; Stacker was pinching the bridge of his nose; Raleigh... I actually couldn't read him, which was worse than nothing.  
"What have I said about PDA on the bay floor?" Stacker asked through gritted teeth.  
"Um... Nothing."  
"Well, then. _No PDA on the bay floor!_"  
Chuck snickered. "Take it easy, sir Marshall. This is Schoenfeld's niece you're talk to."  
Stacker raised a brow at Chuck menacingly. Chuck immediately shut up, looking down to hide his face. Without looking at him, I jabbed him in the ribs as hard as possible.  
"Excuse Mr. Hansen. He doesn't like his father's company at night," I said, pulling off a straight face. I threw a mocking glare towards Chuck. He only grinned.  
When his eyes landed on Raleigh, Chuck steeled himself. "Is that the guy?" he whispered to me, eyes not leaving its position.  
"Yeah. He's-an old friend."  
I felt his arms pull me to his front, his chin rest atop my head.  
"He better just be that."  
When I looked up at Chuck, I saw his slight pout. "C'mon, baby. Stop being so protective..." Lowering my voice, I smirked. "It's kind of hot."  
"Greyson."  
I turned my head to look at Stacker. "Sir?"  
"Bring Becket to the LOCCENT. Reacquaint him with Gipsy Danger. And then show him to his quarters."  
Confusion rolled over me. "I thought you had wanted me to check on the Pons and the-"  
"That can wait for another time," Stacker sighed.  
"Why do _I_ have to do it?" I retorted.  
"I'm pretty sure that Mr. Becket wouldn't want a stranger to bring him back to this world."  
As he walked away with Mako, who gave me a sorry look, I glared at the Marshall's back. "He has something up his sleeve, and I'm not sure I want to find out..."  
Chuck snorted before sobering. He strutted over to Raleigh. "So, you're going to be my new partner?" He was about to say something in addition to that, but I nudged him out of the way.  
"Go walk Max. I'm good here," I told him, pointedly giving him a warning glance.  
Chuck looked at me, and then at Raleigh. Sighed. "Alright, Baby Girl." He pulled me in for a deep kiss, just for show, to make Raleigh jealous, most likely. "I'll save you a spot for lunch."  
"Thanks," I replied as he walked away.  
"Come, Maxy!" he called to the dog.  
I watched his figure as he exited the hangar, towards the innards of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. When I turned back to Raleigh, I gave him a genuine smile. "Sorry 'bout Chuck. He's usually really nice."  
Raleigh only nodded bluntly.  
We walked back to the middle of the bay, headed towards the LOCCENT. The many workers I call my friends greeted me as I passed. Some of the Rangers were out here as well; the Wei brothers were playing basketball. The Kaidonovskys were... well, there.  
I nodded to Aleksis and Sasha as we passed.  
After a while of silence, Raleigh spoke.  
"How long?"  
I slowed down a bit to let him fall into step with me. "What do you mean?"  
Raleigh was looking at everything, everywhere, but me. "I mean... When did you and Hansen become a thing?"  
Oh.  
I shrugged. "Almost two years after you disappeared. The government didn't want to fund a Shatterdome in Alaska with only one last, non-functioning Jaeger. Stacker had us move to the LA Shatterdome, and when that went kaput, we were in Australia for a while. We eventually moved here."  
"Last Jaeger in Alaska? So, Chrome Brutus and Brawler Yukon are down? Since when?"  
"A year after Gip went out-of-commission, Chrome went down fighting a Category 3 in '21. Brawler was just a prototype, so it never went into the working-stage. Anchorage lost two good men that year."  
"You and Hansen met in Australia..."  
Raleigh looked away. He was usually good with masking his feelings, but he wasn't able to hide the hurt on his face. It broke my heart seeing him like that, especially on the day we found each other again.  
It was again quiet when we passed the DriveSuit room, the Kwoon Training Academy, and the KScience Lab. When we got to the LOCCENT, Raleigh melted. A small grin painted his lips when he saw Gipsy Danger.  
Eventually, Tendo met us on the platform, and they had a moment. Raleigh seemed okay again. And that made all the difference. Even I felt the good shift in the air. Tendo gave me a look when he saw that I was standing some ways away, but he didn't voice his confusion.

Time flew by fast. I led Raleigh along the hallways and corridors until we reached his designated sleeping quarters.  
I pointed over to the room. "That's yours."  
He nodded silently, turning the door-lock and stepping inside. The door stood open. I turned around to my room, right across from his. I was about to open my door at the top of the short steps when I heard something being thrown.  
I turned around in curiosity before seeing Raleigh wiping his face with a T-shirt; more specifically, the same shirt he was wearing previously under his thick layers of clothes. That was when I saw them. The scars. They littered his left shoulder to his torso.  
It was obvious to me that they were form the DriveSuit; it was always the Circuitry Suit under the Battle Armor. The first layer of the suit connect the nervous system of the pilot, making them feel whatever the Jaeger feels, and vice versa.  
The pattern to the scars were mirroring the injuries that Gipsy Danger had when we found her on a sea bay in Alaska. To think that Raleigh had to feel that pain... Feel Yancy's fear before he died-  
Raleigh and I stared at each other when he saw me. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were different. They were scared-a little nervous, maybe-but they surely weren't something I was used to seeing. Was he afraid of me seeing the scars? Did he think they marked his failure of not saving Yancy?  
Maybe. But he couldn't have helped him, and what happened already happened.  
I nodded slightly, before I turned to my door. "I-It's great to have you back, Rals."  
A smile painted his lips as he watched me go inside. Upon closing my door, I took a look out of the peep-hole. Raleigh was smirking as he rolled his eyes, hand on the door.  
"Good-bye, Sonny," he sang, waving his fingers at me. As if he knew I would be watching.  
I only chuckled to myself, jumping into my bed for a little bit._ I'll head out for lunch in a bit..._  
Man, has it been a day.

* * *

This isn't as good as I wish it turned out, because I forgot the lines. Blargh. I will eventually go back and add loads more of dialogue xD sOOOOONNNNN


	6. Chapter 6

I awoke to a session of knocks on my door. Grumbling to myself, I slid off the mattress, sluggishly making my way to the door. Not bothering to even see who it was, I opened it.  
"What?" I snapped, yawning afterwards.  
Whoever it was just laughed. "Sorry," he said, smothered by chuckles. "Did I wake you?"  
"Yeah, actually," I muttered incoherently, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I blinked, meeting my gaze with Raleigh. He had on a blue yarn-knit sweater, almost identical to mine. "Are you purposely trying to steal my wardrobe, or what?" I joked.  
"Whaaa?" Looking down, he pulled at the sweater. "Oh." Raleigh began chuckling again before looking at me. He raised a brow, sporting a cheeky grin. "I pull it off better, don't you think?"  
I just scoffed, shoving his shoulder as I closed my door. "And when I thought that your ego couldn't have gotten _any _bigger, Mr. Becket."  
He shoved me back lightly as we walked towards the cafeteria. "You know you _love _me, Ms. Darcy."  
I looked at the other direction, hiding the blush that crawled up my neck. _You have no idea._  
Raleigh chatted me up on our way to the food. He asked about the other Shatterdomes; I asked him about The Wall. He asked me about the remaining Jaegers; I asked him about Gipsy. It was a give-and-take that I missed. I noticed that we avoided all topics of Yancy's death, or even Chuck.  
When we walked into the cafeteria, Aleksis cut in front of us with his tray of food, completely ignoring Raleigh, but giving me a curt nod. Sasha, as we passed their table, held her hand out to him. Raleigh hesitantly took a glance back at them inconspicuously.  
"He's glaring at me-why is he glaring at me?" he muttered hastily.  
I chuckled. "He probably thinks you're cute."  
"He's got a wife!" Raleigh retorted.  
"And I've got a boyfriend. What's the diff?"  
_Please don't notice. Please don't notice. Dammit, Raleigh._  
Raleigh raised a brow mockingly. "You think I'm cute?"  
I was thinking on a response. Thankfully, Herc came down the steps with two filled lunch trays in his hand.  
"Oh, hey, you two!"  
"Hey, Herc," I greeted, making a grab for one of the trays in his hand. I frowned when he dodge me, shoving the tray into Raleigh's side.  
"Chuck has yours," he explained to me, smiling apologetically. He turned back to Raleigh. "Why don't you join us, kiddo?"  
Raleigh just smiled, shaking his head. "No, no. It's fine, I-"  
"C'mon, Rals." I nudged his side. "You've got no choice, man. Don't know any other suckers that'll wanna sit by your _sorry _ass."  
Raleigh replied with a serious bitch-face. "Ha-ha-ha. You're so very funny," he muttered in an overly dramatic accent.  
Herc just shook his head, leading us to our usual table. There were a few other workers on the other end of it. There were three seats open, save for Chuck's. Speaking of Chuck, he was feeding his vegetables to Max.  
"Oh, don't feed the dog!" Herc complained, shaking his head once again as he sat down.  
I chuckled as I went behind Chuck, draping my arms over his front, and placed my chin on his shoulder, kissing his jaw. "If you keep feeding Max those stuff, he'll probably get stronger than you."  
Chuck chuckled a throaty laugh, returning the kiss to my cheek. "Yeah, maybe I should start givin' 'im spinach, aye? Broccoli makes him all gassy."  
Smacking my boyfriend's face lightly, I took the remaining seat beside him, adjacent to Raleigh across the table. I leaned back a bit and rubbed Max's ears before planting a kiss on his cold nose.  
There was minimal small-talk among us four. That was until Herc spoke.  
"Raleigh, this is my son Chuck. He's my co-pilot now." He put down the mashed potatoes that he was shoveling onto his tray.  
"He's more _my _co-pilot now, right, Dad?" Chuck said in jest, a smirk on his lips.  
Herc gave him a look; one that said _Boy, you better ain't be funning me. I ain't got time for you._ Be nice.  
I nudged my boyfriend, giving him a separate look myself.  
He cleared his throat. "So, you're the guy, huh? You're the guy who's gonna run defense for me in that old rust bucket o' yours?"  
"That's the plan," Raleigh muttered coolly.  
"Hey," I put in. "In her defense, Gip has got some years on her, and he's been in loads of bad fights. She's as good as new."  
Chuck took his food in his hand and kept feeding Max. I had to roll my eyes.  
"Right. Good. When was the last time you jockeyed, Ray?" he inquired, looking Raleigh dead in the eye.  
Raleigh put a hand on his side, his tongue pushing at his cheek. "About five years ago."  
Yancy...  
"What've you been doing for five years? Something pretty important, I reckon."  
Raleigh slid on his poker-face. "I was in construction," he muttered gruffly.  
"Oh! Well, that's great! That's really useful. You know, we get in a fight, you can _build _our way out of it, ey Ray?" Chuck snapped condescendingly.  
"It's Raleigh," the owner of the name replied. Man, was he getting ticked off.  
I looked between Chuck and Rals. "Okay... If we're done measuring dicks, can we go talk about something else?"  
I noticed that Raleigh was forking his food rather angrily. When Chuck turned back to the rest of his lunch, he moved his leg over and nudged mine. I tapped his foot with the tip of my shoe. We started playing footsie, and, after a while, I may have accidentally on purpose kicked his ankle a bit too hard.  
"_Ow!_" He turned to me with furrowed brows and wide eyes. Chuck had amusement and shock written all over his face. "Yeah, that hurt!"  
I snickered, forking some beef into my mouth. "Sorry, not sorry."  
Herc was full-on howling in laughter, and Raleigh was trying to hide his grin. I was in the middle of raising the fork to my mouth when my butt started vibrating.  
Did that sentence sound as bad as it did in my head? Because it did.  
I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my iPhone 19. My eyes lingered on the screen-saver for a moment: the same picture that was on my bed-side table. Sliding the Unlock button, I saw the Alert from LOCCENT. Tendo needed my assistance.  
Repeating that initial message to the three men, I gave Chuck a quick peck, and the other two a nod. As I left, I felt eyes trained on my back, and I had a feeling they weren't Chuck's.

When I went up to Mission Control, Tendo met me at the entrance. I was confused. For one: The LOCCENT was empty. Second: There wasn't even an emergency.  
"Ten? What the hell?"  
He put a hand on my shoulder. "Look, Sonny. I love you. You're like a sister to me. Now, tell me what the _hell _is up with you and Raleigh!"  
My eyes brows rose as my eyes widened. Jaw dropped. "You-? You son of a bitch!" I crossed my arms over my chest. "You called me up here to talk about-? Dude! Tendo, you're an idiot."  
He just pulled his hands up in defense. "Hey. Idiot or not, you still haven't answered me, G. What's goin' on between you two?"  
I steeled myself. "I have no idea what you're goin' on about."  
"Really? When he got here, you were happy as Larry! Mako told me how you left the elevator when you got into the hangar bay. It's like you have a love-hate relationship with your feelings."  
I frowned. "I do not."  
"G, it's him or Hansen. You can't have one, and play with the other's head."  
I looked at him; he was probably half-an-inch shorter than I was. "Since when have you been a love guru?"  
He shrugged. "I see things. Plus, I know you and Becket enough to worry."  
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I gave him a sad smile. "I appreciate what you think you're doing, Ten. Really. I'm really scared right now, and honestly don't want to know how you this stuff. Just stick to being the J-Tech Chief, and we'll be good. 'Kay?"  
Tendo chuckled, shaking his head. "You'll end up screwed, I tell ya. You'll lose one or the other, eventually."  
I smacked his shoulder. "I don't like you being Cupid, and then Mr. Pessimist in .9 seconds."  
"Whatever. Look, I fixed up the Pons, so you don't have to."  
I frowned again. "I was hoping that I could use that as an excuse to not train today... I've been really slacking."  
Tendo just turned me around and basically kicked me out of Mission Control.  
Well. That was really out of character.

It's been five hours since Raleigh arrived. I've been training by myself for three. No one is out and about today. Weird. Not even the Kwoon trainers are in.  
No matter, because the quiet helped me concentrate. After a round of fighting the air, I decided to meditate a bit. Even in the quiet compounds of the studio, I heard everything outside. So, when someone came in through the door quietly, I wasn't surprised.  
"Can I help you?" I asked him, not moving my position.  
"I didn't mean to bother you, Ms. Darcy. I have just come to train as well," Aleksis said in his deep voice. He stepped onto the mat and stood in front of me for a moment. "May I join you?"  
"Go ahead, Aleksis."  
As he sat down, Aleksis gave me a small smile. "My friends call me Alek."  
I returned the gesture. "Alek," I repeated, trying out the name. "My friends call me Sonny."  
After a while of small talk, I noticed the cudgels by the far wall. I looked back at Kaidonovsky and smirked. "Feel like sparring?"  
"Always."  
I got up and grabbed two sticks, tossing the second to Alek.  
"I'm not going to go easy on you," he warned, readying the cudgel around.  
I huffed, spinning the stick in my hands. "Wasn't planning on it."  
Aleksis gave a single nod before charging at me. I deflected his advance, bringing the stick down on his neck before he could move. Before I made contact, I locked my muscles. He flinched.  
"One, zero," I muttered, stepping back a bit. Now that it has come to my attention, he was probably almost two feet taller than I was. He was wearing normal clothes, for once. (He and Sasha have a knack of being battle-ready, so they nearly never take off their DriveSuits.)  
Because all my mental rants, I reacted too late when he moved. The stick was right in my face.  
"One, one."  
It went on like that for a while until I had managed to swipe at his knee, effectively making him bend down. I nudged his head with the butt of the cudgel.  
"Ten, eight," I panted, grinning when he put down his stick and raised his hands. Taking a step back, I placed the cudgel beside me, extending a hand to him. He took it in kind, hauling his own weight.  
"You're quick," Alek commented, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "You don't pilot a Jaeger, am I correct?"  
"Yes. When I passed the Academy, the Becket brothers were the only ones Drift Compatible with me. Since they were a pair, I didn't have a partner. So my uncle Jasper educated me further with-well-everything. That's why they kept me."  
Alek snorted. "You speak of yourself like you're some disposable object."  
I didn't say anything.  
"Because you're not."  
Aleksis Kaidonovsky gave a half-bow before slipping on his boots again. He didn't turn back to me as he said: "Your boyfriend, Becket, has been looking for you." He then began leaving.  
"Okay, if you-wait. Raleigh isn't-"  
I stood in my spot, staring at the door where he once was.

(Blarrghhh anyway hi. :D I dunno, sorry, I love the Kaidonovskys and am really sad that they didn't get more screen-time though, okay? Back on topic: I won't just update every Tuesday anymore. Whenever I can before that, I'll update. Um. I'll continuously be going back to previous chapters and edit details if I see that they're wrong, you know. I'd really appreciate some more constructive criticism. :] The next update for this will definitely be Tuesday, but please, comment and favorite!)


	7. Chapter 7

"...after this war ends, after we close the Breach to the hell those Kaijua came from, I'm gonna take you out to dinner."  
I smiled. "Nice choice of wording. Alright. I'm listening."  
"And we'll fly to Paris!" Chuck marveled, a fond smile tugging at his lips. He pressed his lips against my temple. "The City of Romance. What d'you think?"  
"_Romantic_," I chuckled, pulling a strand of my hair above my lips, laughing like a Frenchie.  
Chuck ran a hand through my hair. He looked up at me, laying on top of him in the bunk bed. "We'll spend Christmas, maybe. I'll bring you to the best restaurant they've got. Go by the Tower..." His lips brushed against mine. "Overlooking the city, I'll confess my undying love to you. I'll get down on one knee, ask you to marry me..."  
The pad of my thumb traced the line of his jaw. "And, my little accidental poet, I'll say 'no'," I whispered sweetly.  
Chuck blinked. "What?"  
I snorted, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "I'm kiddin' you! Of course, I'll say 'yes'."  
We didn't speak for a few minutes. Both of us were preoccupied with... each other.  
The door to the Hansens' room opened. Herc strutted in, sweat dripping from his brow. Definitely from training.  
He tossed his bag on a chair across the room. We immediately sprang apart. When he turned around, he frowned.  
"Crikey! C'mon, kiddos, I'm too young to be a grandfather!"  
"Seem old enough to me, _old man_," retorted Chuck, smirking. His arms snaked around my middle, pulling me flush against him. "Besides. I think our kid would be _damn _adorable."  
I smacked Chuck lightly, shaking my head.  
"Greyson, that Becket kid was looking for you. Uh, said that the Marshall wanted to see you at the training center."  
"Did he mention why?" I asked lamely, making a lazy attempt to escape Chuck's grip.  
"I would'a told you if he did."  
I left their room no sooner. I headed towards my room to grab my scooter, taking my sweet time on the way. As I navigated my way towards the hangar bay, I greeted the workers that were around.  
When I walked to the Kwoon Training Academy, there was a huge crowd of trainees at the door. After making my way past the wave of bodies, I saw that Pentecost and Mako were standing off to the side, tracking, while Raleigh went toe-to-toe with a trainee, Jason. The moment that Jason lost, I scurried across the mat. Someone grabbed my wrist, pulling me against their front. My eyes met Raleigh's. The cheeky smirk that followed made me lose my breath. He was wearing a wife-beater and I... just... Wow.  
I know that I should feel bad, and overall guilty, but I couldn't even make myself do it. It was an instinct to be lost in my head with Raleigh. The first time-the very first time we Drifted with Gip-we got lost in each others heads.  
We worked nearly as well as he and Yance.  
Since then, I don't think our nerves have ever not been in sync. I also don't believe that this has ever occurred with the others-with any other Drift Compatible duos. Maybe it was a glitch that we never caught in the system when we stopped the Drift; maybe it's just the chemicals or neurons in our heads-or something. All I know is that, when the Beckets left to fight Knifehead all those years ago, and Raleigh basically vanished into thin air, the connection... The feeling had died away.  
But, like I said, it came back with a vengeance.  
"Darcy, if you'd please-"  
"Why don't I see if Sonny here is up to bat, huh, Stacker?" Raleigh said, interrupting the Marshall. He took half a step away from me. "We are Drift Compatible. Still, I think. Why don't we see?"  
Stacker just gave him a cold, hard look. A smirk appeared, much to my surprise. "Go ahead. I'm in for a laugh, especially when Lieutenant Darcy beats you."  
I had to laugh at that. Out of the whole sector and Shatterdome, Mako and I were his favorites.  
After I shrugged out of Chuck's jacket (the leather one, with the ten Kaiju head decals on the back, that of which I may or may not have borrowed) and kicked off my shoes, I picked up the other cudgel and stepped onto the mat.  
"Remember, it's about Compatibility," Raleigh said to me as we passed each other. "It's a dialogue, not a fight."  
I bowed to Raleigh when I turned around, though a bit mockingly. Standing straight, we locked eyes.  
"I'm not going to dial-down my moves," he warned, face void of all humor.  
"Then neither will I," I replied quietly in jest. My brow quirked in mock. _Bring it on, baby boy._  
He nodded.  
We swung the sticks in our grips, advancing slightly to the other. He made the first move, but I had anticipated it. Even so, I came face-to-face with the cudgel.  
Whoa. _Deja vu._  
"One, zero."  
My jaw set and I angled my swing to Raleigh's hip. Of course, he deflected it. But, with the other end of the cudgel, I made a confirmed hit. I smiled bitter-sweetly.  
"One, one. You better watch out, Baby Becket."  
Raleigh raised a brow as well.  
_Focus_: it was the only word he said to me then.  
We both took a few strokes of the arm, circling each other, striking; it was a swift, fluid thought. I could feel it in the air. Our movements were mirroring each others.  
He had gotten ahead of me with a 3-2. I retaliated by swiping at his feet, bringing him down on one knee. When I swung at his head, I locked my muscles a few centimeters before contact.  
"Three, three."  
"Don't get cocky;" the way he said it reminded me of Yancy. I almost lost my focus for a second.  
Raleigh got to his feet and shuffled around for a few moments before coming at me. I had blocked his attempts for a full-frontal hit. Out of nowhere, he ducked under my arm, moving behind me in a heartbeat.  
It was him that I felt first before the wood. His arms were around me, holding the cudgel in my front, pressing it to my abdomen. The heat that rose to my cheeks was the result of his hot breath that touched my neck.  
"Four, three," he whispered.  
Using the meter-long stick in my hands, I knocked Raleigh's out of his. I pivoted around, blowing his knees from under him. Raleigh fell onto the mat with a satisfying sound. I got him into an arm-hold with the cudgel. When I locked his arm in place, I registered our close proximity.  
It got quiet. The only sound to be heard was our erratic breathing. His chest rose up and down swiftly, while his eyes searched mine.  
We just stayed in position for what seemed like an eternity, not knowing how to continue our lives.  
There was a stiff_ that's enough_ that resided from Mr. Pentecost, but we ignored it.  
Or, at least, I did.  
Before I knew it, I was flat on my back atop the blue training mat. "Raleigh," I groaned. "_Not _fair."  
"Told you I wouldn't dial-down my moves, Sonny," he pointed out, holding out a hand for me. "You should never lose focus; never let your guard down."  
"You _never _stop talking," I sassed, taking his hand and hauling myself to my feet.  
Once we were on our feet, we both turned to a slightly annoyed Stacker Pentecost. He was first to speak. "I think we all know what happened here."  
"Yeah!" Raleigh said, excited. He pulled me into a one-armed hug. "She's my co-pilot."  
My head snapped to look at him. I was shocked, but ecstatic. "What?"  
"No. She's not."  
"_What?_" I hissed as I turned to Stacker. "What do you mean-? Stacker, you _know _how long I've wanted to actually pilot a Jaeger out on the field! I hate being cooped up in every Shatterdome-and now I have-"  
"I said _no_. From what I saw, yes, you are capable and have the capability of aspiring Rangers, but you failed my expectations with the final blow."  
I frowned angrily. "What are ya yappin' on about? I totally-"  
"You lost focus once he was down. Do that in the field, and what do you think would happen? You're better to stay in Mission Control."  
"Then it's a good thing this is only training, huh?" I retorted, placing my hands on my hips. "Don't get your thong in a twist, Mr. Marshall sir."  
The remaining trainees that hadn't already left snickered.  
"Greyson, I say no, and that is final. You're not the right fit for the job." His eyes scanned the ones of the yet to-be Rangers, and I heard scurrying footsteps. "You're dismissed."  
I was so angry, I was near tears.  
"You're a dick!"  
I grabbed my stuff before heading out of the training academy, ignoring Mako's calls for me. Glumly scootering through the halls and corridors, I finally made it to my hall.  
"Sonny, wait up!"  
Raleigh. He followed me? Wait. His room's in front of mine; he probably didn't.  
I stopped anyway.  
"I'm sorry, Rals. I shouldn't have-"  
"You felt that too, didn't you?" He walked up to me, a small smile on his face. Placing a hand on my arm, his smile grew wider when I looked at him finally. "We always knew it-we did-but now we have a chance."  
I looked down. Something tells me piloting Gipsy Danger isn't the only thing on his mind.  
"On second thought, I might just be a distraction, y'know? You-you need to focus on kicking Kaiju ass, and... I'll be in Mission Control, making sure that you do."  
His fingers hooked themselves under my chin. "Hey." Raleigh's gaze met mine. "We'll work something out. You're gonna get back into that Jaeger, if it's the last thing I do."  
I huffed a laugh, moving to sit down on the steps in front of my door. Raleigh followed. I turned to give him a peck on the cheek. What I found instead were his lips. In shock, I jumped.  
"Sorry! Sorry-I was... going in for a hug," he muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
I gave a half-smile. "It's fine."  
Raleigh's eyes flickered to my lips. I noticed him leaning in hesitantly, almost like in a mental conflict. He searched my face for anything. When he found none, his lips pressed against mine with a feather-light touch.  
And I didn't pull away.

(Yeah, I know. You hate me. Tell me later. Right now I have a proposition for y'all! I need two new characters to add into the story. One girl, one man; both working in the Shatterdome. [The girl is Sonny's rival; likes Rals. The boy is Sonny's friend] This contest, I suppose, to create the most interesting ones will end next Wednesday. [[ALSO: Edited dialogue to Chapter 4]])

UPDATE:

Since I had neglected to remember putting up a form for the contest, and so many people have already asked, I made one!

**Form for the girl - **

Full Name:  
Age: 25  
Occupancy: Kwoon Academy Trainer  
Family Members:  
Description: (If you'd please, you can choose an actress for this.)

**Form for the boy -**

Full Name:  
Age: 30  
Occupancy: Former Wall-worker; currently an over-seer for Jaeger construction  
Family Members:  
Description: (Choice of actor would also be suggested. :)

My usual rules for character contests are that you can only enter the amount of characters needed (so, in this case, twice, one for each). Be as creative as you'd like! The most interesting ones, and the ones that I deem fit to help the fic along, will be chosen.  
Contest still ends Wednesday, the 7th.


	8. Chapter 8

_Shouts and yells and screams woke me. It was four in the morning then. I was six.  
"Mommy?"  
She skittered past me, an armful of clothes in her embrace.  
My mother paid me no mind.  
Confused, I pulled my over-sized shirt up on my shoulders. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I hobbled to the master bedroom. The sight inside was shocking: There was a hole in the wall. The dresser mirror was broken. My dad was sitting on the side of the mattress with his head in his hands.  
I was moved out of the way from the doorway. My mom slipped by, into the bedroom. She went back into the walk-in closet, coming back out with yet another bundle of her clothes.  
"Mommy, what are you doing?" Alarmed, and having finally pieced everything together, I blocked her from exiting the room. "Are you leaving?"  
"You're staying with your father."  
She said it so firmly, so decided, so _brokenly_. I was in such a shock that I didn't know what to do; what to say.  
I had followed her to the living room, where her luggage bags were sat.  
"Spencer's parents split up. None of them are happy any longer. Why you too?" I was just talking; spitting out words to stall her, to allow me more time. More time. That was all._  
_Even at six, I knew it was fatal, my attempt.  
Mom turned around and faced me. She steeled herself before speaking. "I... don't love you anymore. That's why." She didn't mean it. She couldn't mean it. She was crying-would she mean it?  
"Baby, I'm so sorry. I have to go._ I can't_."  
This isn't real life. This can't be. I don't want it. _I don't.  
_ I couldn't stop her from walking out that front door.  
Neither could Dad.  
She had gone into that taxi cab and drove off. She didn't even look back. She wouldn't let me see her cry any more.  
My dad was on his knees, holding onto me as I cried. I wasn't sure what was happening, why it was as it was, but I knew enough that I wouldn't be seeing my mom any time soon.  
The Beckets walked out to their front porch, having heard the commotion, the yells. Mr. Becket strode over and helped Dad with me, telling him that he doesn't need to worry about anything.  
Yancy frowned. _  
_Being the big brother, he shoved a very confused Raleigh back into their house._

I shifted in bed.  
My chest felt heavy. Even in my sleep, I could feel the pain building up again.

_I was fourteen. He had just turned seventeen. Their mom was at work. Raleigh broke his arm climbing the tree in their backyard. The Beckets only had one car, so my dad opted to drive the two to the ER. Yancy was left to baby-sit me, or, as I'd like to call it "Got the short stick."  
I don't know who initiated it. I can't remember how it happened. Seriously. I mean, one second, I was yelling at Yance to hurry up and put my new movie poster on the back of my door, and then, within the next second, we were making out on my bed.  
Yancy, I think, was yelling back at me stop yelling at him. I don't know if he fell or... I can't remember._  
_What I do remember is that we both lost our V-Cards that day.  
Honestly, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't _just _that.  
There had always been a, uh... a sort of mutual attraction. Between us, I mean. I don't know when it started... It's even harder to tell when it stopped, if it did at all._...

Uncle Jasper. Chuck. Helicopters. Yancy. Drift Simulators. Mom. Dad. Kaijus. Jaegers. Rangers. Raleigh. It all came back to me like a train going too fast on a bend.  
And it scared me. All of it. Everything was too overwhelming that it woke me up from my restless sleep.  
I just stared at my ceiling.  
I heard people bustling around outside. After checking my clock, I shot up in bed. It was almost three in the afternoon! I flung my covers off, shoving shoes onto my feet, and exited my room. The warning lights were roving. Red light painted the walls.  
One of the security guards passed by, talking into his radio. I managed to catch "LOCCENT" and "Gipsy" and "prepare for evacuation, if needed."  
Suffice to say, I ran. I shoved the dream away to the farthest confines of my mind, and bolted to the hangar. If this involved Gipsy Danger, it involved Raleigh and some _idiot _trainee that Stacker put with him.  
I was past Gipsy's bay when I began to wonder: Who _was _it?  
People rushed past me; in the opposite direction; away from danger.  
I hadn't seen it until I made it up to the LOCCENT. The doors slid open as I entered. My eyes widened at the sight. Three other men were rushing behind the main control panel: Stacker, Tendo, and Chuck. After the shock of seeing the old Jaeger's blasters on dead-lock, I sprinted beside Ten.  
"What the _hell _is going on?!" I hissed, taking hold of the main power plug attached to the controls.  
"Becket and Mori-"  
I cut Tendo off, my sudden shock actually helping to pull off the plug. The gears could be heard whirring down the next moment. The light from Gip faded.  
"_Mako's_ in there? Do any of you not know how-?"  
Chuck, who was as out of breath as us all, gulped. "The Marshall thought it would be a good idea. I was all for it only because you wouldn't have to be in that Conn-Pod."  
I blinked at my boyfriend before staring at Stacker. "Was that an _impulse _decision, or did it take some _time _to make?"  
His lips pulled into a thin line. "I believed that she was ready. It was only a test r-"  
"_Bullshit!_" I had began to advance on the Marshall before Chuck pulled me back. "What if that plug wasn't pulled? _Huh!?_ More than enough people would have died! Would you risk the lives of your men for-?"  
"The Board had thought the same when we recruited you without a Drift Compatible partner. Why don't you run that by me again?" Stacker retorted, a hard look on his face.  
Forget what I said before. _Mako _was his favorite. He only despises me _less _than the others.  
I felt Chuck pull me closer to him, whispering calming things into my ear. I had calmed down enough to weasel out of his grip, which shocked him at most.  
"I'm going to go see how the two are doing. Hopefully, Mako is _fine_."  
I stormed out of Mission Control as quick as I arrived.  
The lift took me up to the track and landing that would move to let Rangers inside the Jaegers. Angrily, I was grumbling to myself the whole way. The opening slid wide as I punched in the override code to the manual shutdown power-outage sequencing. Raleigh was on his knees, helping Mako sit up. I rushed to them.  
"Are you guys alright?" I asked immediately once I was in Mako's sight, placing a hand on her shoulder. I looked at Raleigh. "Are _you_ alright?"  
He nodded slightly. I could see his jaw tense as he clenched his teeth together. "I-I was the one that got out of alignment-I messed up. Mako-"  
"I chased the rabbit." Mako sat up straighter. "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened; it was my fault-"  
"Hey, hey. Nothing is anyone's fault, ya hear?" I made a point to look at the both of them. "It could've happened to anyone." I caught Mako's look. ".._.of course_, those said anyones probably wouldn't almost decimate the LOCCENT, but we all make mistakes. yeah?"  
Mako huffed a laugh.  
I held my hand out for her, and she took it gratefully.  
"Where have you been all day, anyway?" Raleigh asked me was we went back down to the bay floor. "I never saw you at training, or in the DSR, or even in the mess hall-hell, you can't stay away from food!"  
I rolled my eyes. Mako giggled at my response.  
"Well, Baby Boy, if any of y'all had bothered to wake me up, I wouldn't have slept in. I probably could have overseen your Neural Handshake with Gipsy! The old gal makes me feel fuzzy inside," I confessed, laughing.  
Raleigh's brows furrowed. Along came his mocking grin. "Did you just say _y'all_?"  
I shoved his shoulder as we went to the DriveSuit Room. "I was from the southwest region; you know that, Mr. _Freeze Your Ass Off in Alaska_."  
"At least we don't get fried up there, Ms. _Die in the Dry Heat of Arizona_."  
I was close to tearing his eyes out, he was that annoying. "That is... state-ist!"  
"Sadist?"  
"No. State-ist."  
"'_State_-ist'?"  
"Yeah. Like, you know, racist or sexist, except instead of race or gender, it's... _state_...?" My shoulders started shifting upwards. I made a face. "Man, I dunno."  
Raleigh burst out laughing the moment we entered the DSR.

(This turned out like shit; oh well. Sorry for the overly late update. xD School started yesterday, so... Anyway. I've gotten the movie novelization and Tales From Year Zero now, so I will continuously be fixing inaccuracies [mind if there is something about it] and having additions for dialogue and more descriptive scenes and such. And comments, please? Also: I wanted to say THANK YOU ALL. I haven't had this much attention on a fic over such a short time! OH YEAH. AND THE CONTEST HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL MONDAY. Alright. I'm done now. Go about our business :3)


	9. Chapter 9

[Before I even say anything, being so early in a fandom is quite difficult because new information is just coming in and such. xD Like I've mentioned before, I now have both comic and novelization, so things would hopefully run more smoothly. The first few chapters were shit—I mean, come on—so I've gone back and edited them all (though I am not finished fixing them). And we got to see quite a few revealing things of Ms. Darcy's history, etc, etc. Anyway, Tuesdays aren't supposed to be when I update, really. It's supposed to be Monday, but I never make that deadline so. xD Ew, this is just a gigantic block of stuff... Carry on!]

Tendo and I stayed behind in Mission Control for twenty minutes in an attempt to put back the wires and plugs and cables—most of which became damaged due to how roughly they were yanked out. Before the Marshal and everyone left, he instructed Tendo to inspect Gipsy. We all knew it wasn't the Jaeger; she was just _responding to Mako's fear_. No one's ever seen that.  
People were slowly trickling back into their designated areas. Crew were back in the hangars. Rangers were roaming. Same with the other staff. Tendo told me that he could handle the tech, that I could leave. Even though I wanted to get away from the place, it didn't feel right with leaving all the work to Mr. Choi over here. He practically shoved me out of the LOCCENT after rolling out from under the console.  
I headed to Petecost's quarters. Don't even ask me how I knew everyone else was there. I... had a feeling, I guess. Protocol.  
Plus, I bet Raleigh and Mako have been given clearance from the medics by now, or something.  
My steady pace slowed noticeably even before I turned the corner. I could hear Chuck yelling as he vented. I met Raleigh's glance before anything else. His expression mirrored the whole spectrum of feelings boiling inside of me. Anger because my boyfriend is a hot-head; fear for what would happen to Gipsy Danger; envy... _horrid _envy because it should have been _me _in that Jaeger!  
"This is ridiculous! They're putting our lives at risk—and our whole mission—against an enemy that's already kicking our ass. You think I went them on _my wing_ when I drop a nuke into the Breach?"  
I had to wince. It was harsh, yeah, but he said it _so casually _that it shocked me up a bit.  
I was stood against the wall, right in front of the Marshal's door. My frown deepened when I heard Chuck tell Pentecost that Rals and Mako didn't "deserve to pilot a Jaeger, sir."  
The door was thrown open. My jaw locked when I saw how angry Chuck really was. Half of me wanted to calm him down, but the other half wanted to give him a right smack in the face, it did.  
With wide eyes, I stole a glance at Herc, standing at the doorway, an inkling to follow his son. He pointed to him. "Stay right there." The door closed again. I could hear bits and pieces of Herc and Stacker's conversation, but I was a bit busy hovering over Chuck as he turned to Raleigh.  
"Looks like you heard me." Chuck was nose-to-nose with him. "Good. Saves me from repeating myself."  
He inched even closer, staring him down. Daring him to move. Throw a punch. Something.  
"It's been five years since you jockeyed a Jaeger? That's a bloody lifetime in Jaeger tech and you know it. And here's the thing. I actually want to _come back_ from this mission. I want a _life_. So."  
I stepped beside Chuck, looking at him. "Chuck," I warned.  
But he continued. And stuck a finger in Raleigh's face. The latter was ready to blow his top, but he seemed to be keeping his cool.  
"You, why don't you do us all a favor and disappear, yeah? Seems like it's the only thing you're good at."  
I pulled Chuck by the crook of his arm, standing in between him and Raleigh.  
"Charlie!"  
Chuck immediately shut up. He knows he's in trouble whenever I call him anything _but _'Chuck.'  
Raleigh put a hand on my shoulder, holding me back so I wouldn't take a swing at him. Look. I love the guy, I know what he's been through, but he's so immature. And I know why, but all of that are many different stories.  
I stopped. Chuck didn't.  
"You're holdin' back my girlfriend, now? Oh, so you think she's going to hit me, or something, _Rah_-leigh?"  
"Charles Hansen, I am giving you three seconds." My eyes narrowed.  
Mako stepped beside me. Raleigh held up a hand.  
Chuck sneered. "That's right, hold back your girlfriend. One of you bitches needs a leash."  
That straw broke the camel's back.  
Raleigh threw a punch after stepping around me, and Chuck's head snapped back. It took half a second before Chuck swung to make contact with Raleigh's mouth. It was an all-out brawl after that. I would have intervened that moment if it weren't for the fact the boys were taking mean hits, holding absolutely nothing back.  
I'd like to keep _conscious_, thanks.  
Rangers and crew and techs eventually heard the ruckus. An audience grew. Everyone who was anyone that saw what happened in the mess hall the first day knew this fight was coming sooner or later; now, they got to see it.  
Raleigh was pummeling Chuck. It hurt to watch, but I was keeping track of their contact. If they go back to the medical bay, I'll be the one to help with their injuries.  
Chuck got a few punches in the ribs. Raleigh might have a nasty bruise on his gut. Both would have a nasty set of sores and bruises on their faces eventually. Broken noses. Cracked ribs. Fractured jaws.  
When Raleigh rammed Chuck into a wall, he broke the pressure valves. He stood in the mist for a second, giving a glare that would have scared the living daylights out of anyone.  
But not Raleigh.  
Chuck's forearm made contact with Raleigh's face, but the latter sprang back and elbowed the former at the hinge of his jaw, just below the ear. I winced at the near inaudible crack. He got slammed into the wall again when he went slack. Chuck made a dire attempt to spin away, but Raleigh caught his arm, and twisted it at an odd angle.  
He could have, would have, dislocated his arm if Herc hadn't yelled at them to stop.  
Herc had a look in his eye—the kind of look only a father could give. A father's dangerous thunder that I've seen only twice before; once with my own father, and the minute Chuck and I met.  
"What the hell are you two doing?"  
Raleigh shoved away, but Chuck wasn't done just yet. He took another swing, but Herc and I shoved him back. I braced myself at his front while Herc threw a hard arm over shoulders, hauling him back.  
"_This is over!_" the father growled.  
Chuck struggled, but with one look from me, he knew that he had lost. We held each others gaze for a moment. Then, he gave a hard glare to Raleigh before looking at me again.  
The words he spoke were a mere whisper. "Let me go."  
"Charlie..." I muttered through gritted teeth. "Stop. _Now_."  
Footsteps.  
Penetcost.  
"You three. Ms. Darcy! Mr. Becket! Ms. Mori! In my office, now!"  
Raleigh and Mako left. Chuck got out of our grip and started stalking away. We all watched. I breathed a sigh, meeting Herc's gaze. I took a step towards the direction Chuck went when I froze in my tracks.  
_ Disobey an order, or go after your boy._  
I closed my eyes, brows furrowing. I cursed under my breath as I turned on my heel. Brushing past Pentecost, I opened the door into his quarters, after seeing the nod Herc gave to me.  
Why's it always me?

(I updated and stuffu ok. I wasn't able to update for a while because high school, and tumblr... and yeah. I've been stalking Travis's tumblr to find out more info for the story that is absolutely nowhere else in the world of Pacific Rim. :D Anyway, the contest, as most of you may already know IS OVER. I've chosen my two characters that will be added within the next few chapters—that, or I'll add them in to the past chapters, as well. Also, Jazmine, Yancy and Raleigh's younger sister, is going to make a cameo post-movie happenings, so, watch out for that too!)


	10. Chapter 10

(Chapter 3—the _new _one I had finished a while ago, if you hadn't noticed, along with this beaut—is a really long-ass chapter. :D Enjoy this, as well as that!)

Raleigh and Pentecost were battling it out. He admitted to getting out of alignment first, but the Marshal... He blamed Mako.  
Well... "Blame" is a bit too harsh.  
Either way, it wrought the same affect.  
Raleigh was challenging him, like always.  
"What? So you're grounding us?"  
Stacker stared Raleigh straight in the eye. "Not you," was all he said.  
And we could figure out what he meant.  
I knew—I felt Raleigh reach his maximum boiling point.  
What bullshit this all is.  
My jaw locked. "Stacker—"  
Mako stood straight, at attention. Her eyes held tears that she refused to let go. She gave a salute that was too uniform; unmeaning.  
"Permission to be dismissed... Sir?"  
Pentecost had only nodded.  
"Permission granted."  
Mako then gave a hard, respectful bow before meeting Raleigh's eyes. I knew that glance. It basically sums up everything in the Drift. Man, even I felt that way when I was her age; wanting to pilot, to be a Ranger, because you just _knew _you had to.  
Raleigh and I shared a look. He was determined, I could tell you that, to stand up for Mako, as was I, but at the very least, I knew where the line was drawn, and knew to never cross it.  
The same couldn't be said about Raleigh.  
"She has a clear connection to that Jaeger. She has nearly the strongest neural handshake I've ever felt. Even stronger—"  
I knew where his train of thought led to. When he caught himself, he considered it. I guess he figured it to be the truest truth that ever truthed because the next words that passed his lips were: "Even stronger than Yancy."  
Our Marshal wasn't impressed. Either that, or he was done with Raleigh's shit. Or, maybe, he really just doesn't want Mako to pilot Gip. We may never know.  
"Don't let my calm demeanor fool you, Ranger. This is not a good moment for you insubordination."  
Stacker left. Raleigh—that little shit—followed after him. I stayed put for a moment, shaking my head.  
"'Oh, it was _my _fault, marshal.' 'No, she's not ready.' 'Fuck you, marshal. I do what I want.'" Yes. This was basically the whole minute in a nutshell. Subtext, my friends. Cue dramatic and ever-so realistic collision sound-effects.  
I ran.  
"...too inexperienced to rein in her memories during combat."  
That snippet of the conversation made me scoff inwardly. Yes, that may have been true, but even I knew Pentecost was only using it for an excuse—a _shit _excuse, at that.  
"I don't think that's why you grounded her," Raleigh challenged.  
Pentecost snapped back. "I didn't ask for your opinion."  
I stopped making the attempt to catch up with them. I blinked.  
Raleigh knew.  
He rushed to keep up with Pentecost, bombarding him with what we all knew he saw in the Drift. When the words "You're holding her back" flitted past Raleigh's lips, I knew then that he was already done for. But when Rals grabbed Stacker by the arm and hauled him around... _That _was the moment I knew he was dead.  
He'd just broke every fucking rule in the protocol by merely _touching _the Marshal.  
It was smarter not to get in between them. I stayed put.  
Stacker had a look of rage in his eyes. He shoved a finger in Raleigh's face, and the latter immediately regretted having done anything. In a tight, low tone, Stacker spoke. "One: Don't you ever touch me again. Two: Don't you _ever _touch me again." He breathed back a very dark remark, I could tell. "Now, you don't know where I came from and I am not about to tell you my life story."  
I looked at my shoes. Became a good little soldier and didn't interfere. Stand tall and quiet with your hands behind your back. It was protocol. It was in the book. You follow through, and you don't get suspended. I learned that the hard way.  
When Chuck and I started going out, Pentecost was all against it. I argued with him, and he threatened to suspend both me and Chuck, because we're distractions to each other. I managed to talk him out of it, but I never, ever, did anything to anger him again.  
Like I said, I was _tailored _to be a Ranger. I grew up as one even before it started. I mean, after my mom left us, my dad...  
I shook the thought away.  
"Is that understood?"  
The tone in Pentecost's voice was made to egg Raleigh on, to see if he'd go further across the line. Raleigh was silent for a few heartbeats, letting Stacker know that he understood. But, just as Stacker pointed to his ear: "Yes, sir," he muttered.  
Stacker entered the elevator. I slunk beside Raleigh as the doors slid closed.  
"Um. Don't you need to go that way too, or—?"  
"Shh."  
"But—"  
"Shh."  
"I—"  
"Don't."  
I snorted.

Raleigh headed straight to train, going from the main way. I went back towards my room to retrieve my phone.  
I was passing the main corridor, where the carts could pass through to get to the hangar bay. I saw Mako. She didn't see Jim and Terry driving by.  
I couldn't call out to her before the boys hit her in the side, pinning her to the wall. The boys backed up; almost hit _me _as I went to Mako's aid.  
"Are you guys alright?" I asked.  
Mako hugged her arm, checking to see if it was severely injured. She was fine there, but she had a slight limp. Jim frowned. Terry looked guilty.  
"Ms. Mori, I am so sorry!" Terry apologized. "I didn't see you walking."  
"He can never see _anyone _walking. Don't feel bad," Jim muttered, getting off his seat and helping me with Mako. "You hurt?"  
She winced. "My leg. I think it's fine, but I would like to get it checked out."  
My eyes widened. "What if you fractured something? You can't pilot Gip! Oh, my God. What are we going to do if we need you guys? Raleigh doesn't—"  
"Calm. We'll cross the bridge when we get there, Greyson. Get your priorities straight, woman!"  
"My god, Mako. Chill."  
"I _am _chill!" She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. If anything's too bad, we have you."  
Jim and Terry drove her to the direction of the medical bay. I led myself to the cafeteria then.  
Today was carnita night.  
Plugged my earphones in when I went in line with my tray. The chronic buzzing of people was drowned out by R&B. I pulled away from the counter and headed for the Striker crew's regular table. I was about to step off the platform when I saw Raleigh. He wouldn't have come here if he didn't need to. If he had the choice, he probably wouldn't have, but he needed to well-fed and ready just in case something came up.  
Everyone in the immediate area stared at him. All conversations were dead. They gawked at him, and then glanced at me. I even noticed Gipsy Danger's regular crew trying to avoid eye-contact with either of us, quietly shunning Raleigh.  
_You gonna sit with the _left-over_?_  
My walking toward him answered their silent judgements. When I got within ear-shot, I began to say, "Let's go," but he interrupted me, saying, "Let's get out of here."  
I couldn't argue with that.


	11. Chapter 11

You're really not supposed to bring food trays outside of the mess hall, but it didn't matter so long as it doesn't get lost. Besides, it's not like we'll be at loss or something. Raleigh and I sat on gantry and platform overlooking Gipsy Danger's repair area. Pentecost was having her fixed up and checked over. For the new pilots, most likely. If Mako wasn't being allowed to be a Ranger, another candidate with Raleigh would probably just cause more problems.  
We ate in a serene silence.  
After a while, I spoke.  
"Mako feels really bad about what happened earlier," I muttered. I pushed my tray away from me.  
"So do I," he replied. Motioning down to the techs, he continued: "They're trying to figure out what went wrong, but nothing did. She had one of the strongest machine-pilot handshakes I've ever seen."  
I hugged my calves, watching the sparks that ricocheted off of Gip's armor. "It looked the same from outside the Conn-Pod, I guess... I was kind of having a heart attack for a few minutes," I joked, sporting a grin in Raleigh's direction.  
It became quiet again.  
The technicians' voices traveled up to our position. All conversation was about earlier in the evening. I heard my name mentioned once or twice, not knowing why.  
I could feel it on Raleigh, and wondered if he was just itching to talk about it.  
"Gipsy and Mako are pretty well-acquainted, if you were wondering. It's not weird, whatever you've been thinking about."  
Raleigh looked at me in shock. "How—?"  
I huffed a light laugh, a corner of my lips turning up with a quirk. "I know you, Rals. And I know Mako. I know how the Drift-hangover can affect people. And I know you're curious."  
"She was just a kid..."  
That was all he said.  
I met his gaze. A soft smile replaced my grin. "That Sunday story was the very first thing she ever said to me. It was in 2017 when I met her. Stacker had brought her to the Alaskan Shatterdome a year before, but no one really paid any attention to her—she was just 11. I went to go ask Stacker—"  
"Since when have you called him 'Stacker'?"  
"Since 2014."  
"You've known Pentecost for_ eleven years_?"  
"Do you want me tell you the story, or not?"  
"Sorry."  
I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, she opened his office door. I asked her who she was, why she was there—because, let's face it, Stacker never has a kid in his office.  
"Anyway, she told me her name was Mako, and that she was Tokyo's Daughter, and she told me what Stacker did. Apparently, she had had enough of people asking if she really was the survivor of the Onibaba attack, so she just... flat-out told me. Mako never saw her parents after that."  
"You know about Yancy... I know you know how it feels." Raleigh ducked his head, staring blankly at the fork he was shifting between his fingers. "It was so quiet for so long."  
I reached over and placed my hand on his arm. He looked up, sorrow in his eyes. "I felt it. The moment—the instant he..." I licked my lips. "...I know. But it wasn't your fault. It's about to time you forgive yourself." I took a long intake of breath, readying myself to tell him something I've never told any other soul. "I blamed myself for what happened to you guys for so long. I blamed myself, I hated myself. Every day I would tell myself that I was to blame—that if I had paid attention to the screen after Knifehead went down, Yancy would still be alive, and you'd be fine. We'd be fine. But I got over that because I didn't have time to dwell on the past. Pentecost made sure my position occupied me enough to forget about it."  
Raleigh traced patterns on the back of my hand. "We lived in each other's heads for so long, the hardest part to deal with was the silence."  
"Do you know how empty _I_ felt when you left? Rals, I was _alone_. Yance was gone, and I felt that in my head. But when you left the PPDC, and the longer we were apart... It was like half of me was numb. And when you came back—"  
"—it was like feeling the sun on your skin for the first time."  
His eyes roved over mine before turning to watch the crane lift a piece of Gipsy Danger's hull up. A bunch of the tech guys climbed in, and, within the next moment, the inside lit up with the light of blowtorches.  
The question lingered in the air, and we both knew the answer: It's been a long while since Raleigh had seen her heart. We sat back on the palms of our hands as they lifted her old nuclear vortex turbine from its housing. These reactors had powered the first three generations of the mechs. Those same had even killed Rangers over time.  
I smiled upon seeing the new shielding that Mako had thought off adding. It was only one of many modifications she had suggested incorporating into the old bot, but we both agreed that keeping her as original as possible. Except for maybe a few new gadgets here or there.  
"Did you name her subconsciously, or what?" I asked him in jest.  
"What do you mean?" he questioned.  
"She has my initials is what I mean," I laughed. "So: subconsciously, or not?"  
He turned a little pink. "I... didn't realize. I guess... not? You basically designed her, and your uncle made it happen—I dunno, I guess I was kind of wanting to name her after you."  
"Mako's father was a sword maker. He says when a warrior names his weapon, they share a bond."  
"Makes sense..." He smiled at me. "How's Jasper, by the way?"  
"Eh," I shrugged. "He's hanging in there. Haven't seen him in a couple years. I like him better than my dad in a lot of ways."  
I didn't need to elaborate on why. We both knew my dad became a drunk.  
Raleigh chuckled to himself.  
"What?" I asked.  
"Nothing."  
"C'mon, what is it?"  
"When I was Drifting with Mako, I heard a song..."  
It was like he didn't know how to continue the question. "Shibuya pop. She's been obsessed with it for forever. She made me put it on my phone just in case she forgot hers."  
We shared a quick laugh.  
"...do you remember what happened to me and Yance in the third grade?" he asked me out of the blue.  
"When Fink Herbert beat the snot out of you guys?" I chortled. We had another round of roaring laughter. "Yeah, I remember. You both had fractures in your ribs, nasty bruises, cut lips—"  
"—and Yancy was the only pirate in sixth grade."  
Again, we laughed. Then, we sobered up. No one's mentioned Yancy so much in a day without making me cry. Hardly anyone's mentioned his brother in years following the incident. But when news of Raleigh's arrival erupted in the halls, that was all I heard. "Yancy's brother—", "Raleigh and Yancy and Gipsy—", "Yancy Becket died".  
"D'you know why Fink beat us out of our socks?"  
Raleigh's voice brought me back to reality.  
I smiled a bit. "No. Why?"  
"We were defending your mom. And you."  
I blinked. "Wh-what?Why?"  
"He talked bad about you. It was the week your mom left. You weren't yourself, and he noticed. He talked behind your back to anyone who would listen. I told him that 'just because you have a weenie, doesn't mean you gotta act like one!'" He chuckled. "Yancy actually called him a dick after saying he 'didn't know anything'. And we got socked in the—well—everything."  
"Man. And I was laughing at you two idiots for a month. I'm sorry."  
"I'm sorry that you were mocked for not having a mom."  
"And I'm sorry that yours died, and your dad left too."  
"I'm sorry that Yancy died."  
"I'm sorry about Chuck."  
"I'm sorry that I—"  
He didn't finish whatever he was saying. He looked mad for almost saying it.  
"It's getting late," Raleigh said finally.  
"Since when have _you _cared about it being _late_?" I mocked, raising a brow.  
He only smirked, holding his hand out for me.

(Holy shit. So get this. I had to cut Chapter 10 in half, so you got two new chapters. cx I was not expecting this. xDD I got some stuff in though, yes!)


	12. Chapter 12

Stacker made me watch over Tendo and Typhoon's tech crew while they re-engineered the consoles in MisCon. We all knew that time was of the essence, and that the faster we get the LOCCENT running again, the better. Our marshal just feels the need to keep me occupied... which I did. Just not in the way he would have expected.  
Ten had left to go grab some grub while the techs finished up. I had a bunch of files in hand, my phone in another, looking at news and everything. Some of the crew have been handing me newspapers and articles that pertained to news for or against the PPDC and The Wall. I go online and look at more. Add in the paperwork and dossiers that Pentecost has me look-over and keep updated, I'm fairly busy as it is.  
I had filed dear Mr. Choi's memo of Rals's arrival, the facility status reports, K-Science reports, J-Tech reports—you name it, I've seen it. My desk, currently, was covered with Manila file folders and stacks of paper. Tendo Choi walked in with another stack of files, a couple mugs of hot coffee, and a giant bagel in his mouth. He fired up the consoles to go over diagnostics.  
I paid him no mind because it was protocol.  
What made me look up from my work was the Breach alarm.  
What made me panic was the fact that Tendo was panicking.  
"...Ten? What's wrong?" I asked him slowly.  
"It's—it's just misinterpreting the feed. That's all," he stuttered, staring at the data screens and remote sensors. "There's probably something wrong with the—"  
I watched as Tendo messed with the broad-spectrum visual. The usual spectacle of the Breach was ignored by Tendo. He liked the nonvisuals because he actually understood the numbers, and the sights didn't distract him. But he didn't trust the instruments, that's why he switched to the visuals.  
The numbers were saying there were two kaiju that exited the Breach and headed past the trench. The visuals confirmed it.  
"Are those—?"  
Tendo sighed as deep as the Marianas Trench. "Gottlieb was right."  
In one swift motion, he called Stacker via video chat.  
"_...decay since last month, six percent._"  
I stood behind Tendo as the feed started. Brows knitted together. We only caught a snippet of whatever the AI was saying.  
Stacker was, it seemed, undergoing a Phys-Eval, being as he had on no shirt. From the camera feed, anyone can see the scars that splayed across his skin. The same scars that Raleigh had from Gipsy in the Knifehead attack were similar to Stacker's scars from Coyote Tango.  
I knew first hand that any Jaegers that are Mark III and under are radioactive. Anyone that's piloted them need to take anti-radiation meds.  
I'm still on them.  
He's never said anything, but Stacker was dying from the inside out.  
Anyone whose figured it out hasn't said anything either.  
Wasn't our place to question.  
"Mr. Choi?" Pentecost said.  
"Movement in the Breach, sir," sighed Tendo. "Earlier than we thought."  
"How strong is the signature?"  
I interrupted the tech-chief. "Hate to break it to you, Stacks, but there are two giant monsters headin' straight for us."  
"Sound the alarm."

By the time the Hansens and Hermann walked into the LOCCENT behind Stacker, anyone could see that the place was barely getting in control. Half of the machines and instruments still haven't been fixed. People were everywhere. The kaiju threat wasn't loosening anybody up, and the screens that depicted a map of the Pacific Rim scanning the Breach and the two signals weren't helping.  
Raleigh and Mako, who donned an ankle brace and leaned on a crutch sadly, were standing off to the side like they were the outcast-teens at their prom who were waiting for someone to ask them to dance.  
Man, do I remember mine...  
I fired up more instruments around the main console. I needed to see what I could, and Tendo needed the closure of knowing. Give-and-take.  
Tendo called out to him the moment he laid eyes on the marshal. "Marshal. Breach was exposed at twenty-three hundred. We have two signatures."  
Protocol. Completely unnecessary in this current case, but Pentecost liked to run things a certain way, and Tendo never liked to see the boss mad.  
"I love being right," Hermann said in delight.  
I threw a look at him. "Shut up, Herms."  
"Told you never to call me that!"  
Stacker shot me a look for obvious reasons. At least I wasn't Tendo: he wanted to give that Brit a proper smack in the head.  
While Tendo explained to the Marshal the Category IVs, I brought up the visuals of the two kaiju's approximate likeness. One was "round and blocky in profile," while the smaller one, as Tendo had described to me earlier, was " all jagged angles and claws".  
"Codenames: Otachi and Leatherback. They'll reach Hong Kong within the hour."  
Pentecost immediately fired off a bunch of orders and questions, all with the precision of a long-time leader. All the Jaeger crews were in the room, watching it all unfold. Stacker's authority oozed out of him.  
I felt Chuck stand behind my seat. The heat radiated off of his front. When he rubbed my shoulder, I held his hand. I looked up at him comfortingly, even if he was the one trying to do the same to me.  
Even after Hu—I think it was Hu.  
The Wei triplets are the most identical siblings I've ever seen, and that's saying something. Plus, Hu was usually the first one to speak.  
Even after he suggested on going out there to take care of our two new friends, Chuck and I never broke contact. "...We are going out there. No matter what."  
"So are we," Sasha added. She then proceeded to gesture towards Raleigh and Mako. "But not with them."  
"Well said, Red sister," Chuck snorted.  
"Charlie..." I warned. "Play nice."  
"Sir," Hermann started. "You have to hold off. My parabola was right. We may lose a city, but we must preserve the Jaegers for the mission. We need to hold ground."  
Herc stood his own ground. "Hey. It's a city of ten million people against _numbers on your chalkboard_."  
"OKay, hold up. You're both right, but for all the right and wrong reasons. There's a problem, and we'll fix it. Before the PPDC, there was a problem, and we solved it. We'll solve this one too."  
Everyone looked at me. I may be boisterous, but I honestly hardly talk in these sort of things.  
"Herms, you're right about the Jaegers. We'll need them all for Operation Pitfall. We'd lost eight mechs last year alone, and only taken out fourteen kaiju. On the other hand, Herc, you're right too. We can't all just prepare for the mission and stand off to the side, watching while those two kaiju terrorize and kill all of Hong Kong. Though the numbers—"  
"My numbers are correct," the man said stiffly. "A city of ten million or the world? We cannot save everyone. If we don't have the Jaegers to deliver the bomb, protecting one city will not matter."  
There was nothing but silence after that. One glanced at two others whom were staring straight at the marshal. All four of us remembered a similar conversation, albeit on a definitely smaller scale, five years ago back in Alaska. We all could tell the other remembered. I'm pretty damn sure that Raleigh and Pentecost remembered; I'd bet on it. What was the name of that boat? I knew it had -_chuck _in it, because I've told him this story before.  
Because the crew members of that boat came to the Shatterdome to give their thanks to the Rangers that weren't there anymore. Because the boat's crew stayed for Yancy's memorial.  
"You can't save everyone," Rals said. "Right?"  
Stacker didn't answer. I could sense and see the weariness in him. He was... not well.  
Tendo prompted Pentecost with an option to which he took his sweet time answering.  
But when he finally did speak, Stacker looked at the seven Rangers who weren't part of the Becket-Mori team.  
"Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha. Frontline the harbor. Stay on the Miracle Mile."  
To the Hansens, he added, "Striker Eureka, stay in the back and guard the coastline. We cannot lose you, so only engage as a final option."  
Hercules, like the veteran he is, responded with a firm "Yes, sir."  
Stacker turned to the others. "You two stay put." Upon laying eyes on me: "Lieutenant Darcy, I expect you to keep an Eagle Eye out there for your team. I expect nothing less."  
I didn't turn around to look at him. I kept my hands firmly over the keys, and my eyes glued to the screens. "History won't repeat itself, Stacks."  
Mockingly, I spun in my seat to give him a sarcastic salute. I huffed a laugh due to the annoyance in his expression; he absolutely loathes it when I use his nickname in public.  
"Have my word, sir."  
In no time, Chuck had stolen a kiss before he and his father left LOCCENT. No sooner after that, since the Weis and Kaidanovskys had left, Cherno and Typhoon were about ready to start up. The two bots were already at the end of Scramble Alley by the time Striker got off the conveyor belt from her repair bay.  
I ignored the usual droning of Tendo's voice over the comms. He made sure to keep protocol, made sure everyone was on the same page. It was done by the book, the same way it has always been done for the past decade.  
Like two people who have spent way too much time together, Tendo and I rhythmically and swiftly moved from each others spots. We switched off every few minutes to make sure certain things were running smoothly, to watch the scanners; staring at the clock; staring at the screens; drinking more and more coffee.  
It wasn't long before Otachi and Leatherback came within the premises of the Miracle Mile.  
Cherno and Typhoon didn't know what they were in for.

* * *

If this gets ten [separate, legitimate] comments/reviews before next Tuesday, I'll make the attempt to update earlier. xD


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